Why does a filmmaker of Scorsese's age -- and stature -- want to make a comic book flick?

Because his passion project Silence made a buck ninety-eight at the box office? Even the biggest, classiest auteurs need to make some money every once in a while. Anything Scorsese decides to tackle, I'm there.

Why does a filmmaker of Scorsese's age -- and stature -- want to make a comic book flick?

Because his passion project Silence made a buck ninety-eight at the box office? Even the biggest, classiest auteurs need to make some money every once in a while. Anything Scorsese decides to tackle, I'm there.

Doesn't sound to me though like he's going to have much to do with this movie...just putting his name on it as a "brand" to give it "credibility" it sounds like. And cash a check on his end, which I can understand given how poorly some of his recent films have fared commercially -- and how much he's struggled to get funding for them.

I mean, he's put his name on his absolute crap recently, like FREE FIRE. Can't imagine he had anything to do with that movie beyond getting paid in a producing capacity.

But these movies are so studio controlled, there's little if any room for a director to be stylistically inventive, much less express a personal style. Even Thor felt like the work of an anonymous journeyman hack, not the director of Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing.

So they want DiCaprio, which is why they want Scorsese, and want nothing to do with their on-going "DC Universe" at the same time. So they want this BATMAN movie WITHOUT Affleck, and a JOKER movie without Jared Leto (okay I get that, but why plan on making other movies with him?).

Seriously, this is one of the strangest, most convoluted things I've ever read. "Hey, let's make TWO sets of movies with different actors that have nothing to do with each other!" - said nobody EVER.

There's no offer for DiCaprio, and sources say Scorsese's deal to produce isn't even done yet. The chances of landing DiCaprio could be slim to none. But the attempt in itself sends a signal to talent that Warners wants to hire serious filmmakers to make serious films.

This plan was not met with applause in all quarters: Insiders say Jared Leto, the actor who portrayed the Clown Prince of Crime in last summer's Suicide Squad and is slated to reprise the character not just for a sequel but for another spinoff movie (with DC villainess Harley Quinn), was caught off guard by the plans. Leto is said to have made his displeasure with the notion of multiple Jokers known to his CAA agents, and rival agency WME has been using the concern to court him.

Warner Bros. launched its DC Extended Universe to compete with Marvel Studios with 2013’s Man of Steel. The movies have included the poorly reviewed Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, as well as this summer’s well-received Wonder Woman, which was seen as finally correcting a wobbly series. The movies have a through-line not just of stories but also actors, making them part of a superhero universe.

Now, however, Warners wants to branch off with stand-alone movies that are unconnected to that version of the DC world. The new movies will have non-traditional takes on the heroes and villains of DC, and hopefully, attract actors and filmmakers who don’t typically toil in the comic-book movie world. War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves is developing a Batman stand-alone that, according to sources, will not star Ben Affleck, who plays the caped crusader in the DC Universe movies (Warners and Affleck have denied he is being replaced). The plan is to launch a separate label for these projects to distinguish them from the rest of the DC films. (Warners executives are acutely aware of the risks of audience confusion.)